Open-Source Learning Management with Moodle

Combining the features of a content management system, bulletin board, and on-line grade book, Moodle meets a growing demand for on-line education.

Installation and Configuration

At the time of this writing, the latest stable release of Moodle is
version 1.3.1, which was released on June 5, 2004. If you are interested in
experimenting with the newest features, you also can download the
nightly development packages. Both the stable release and the
development versions are available from anonymous CVS. In our
experience, we have been able to upgrade Moodle installations by way of CVS
without problems. The stable CVS branch is new in v.1.3 and promises
a convenient way to maintain a Moodle installation.

Installing Moodle on a LAMP system is straightforward and
well-documented. After unpacking the downloaded package, place all
files and folders into your Web server's documents directory. Create a
MySQL database and account. Moodle needs a separate data directory to
store some files, such as user-uploaded images. This directory should
not be accessible directly over the Web. You can protect it
either by using an .htaccess file or by placing the directory outside the
Web server's documents directory.

The default Apache and PHP settings on most Web servers should be
adequate. PHP sessions support and file uploading need to be
enabled. Also, PHP safe mode needs to be disabled. Some Web
hosting providers do not allow disabling PHP safe mode while others
do, so check in advance.

A single file, config.php, stores the basic configuration settings, such as database information, Web site URL, directory paths and
permissions. Make a copy of the config-dist.php file provided by
Moodle, name it config.php and edit it using your favorite text
editor. This thoughtful arrangement is useful when you upgrade
Moodle. Moodle's config-dist.php is upgraded, but your config.php,
which contains settings specific to your installation, is left
untouched. The config.php contains detailed instructions and
examples.

Next, visit the main page of your Moodle Web site with a Web
browser. From this point on, Moodle handles its own installation over
the Web, setting up the database and creating tables. The defaults
should work to get you started, and you always can customize them
later. Finally, you are asked to create an administrator user
account. Successful creation of the user account completes the Moodle
installation, and you are returned to the home page of your new
Moodle site.

Once Moodle is installed, almost all regular administrative activities
can be carried out by using a Web browser. When logged in as the
administrator, a block containing administration links appears in
the left column of the main page after installation (Figure
1). The Configuration link in this block opens up a control panel
that allows the administrator to control all aspects of the Moodle
site using a Web browser. Again, every setting is meticulously
documented and examples are provided.

Figure 1. Moodle Main Page after Installation

The Variables panel controls the basic operation of the Moodle site.
In most cases, the defaults should work fine. The Site Settings
panel is where you set the name of the Web site. This also is where you
can change the words used to refer to teachers and students—another
example of Moodle's flexibility. For example, you can specify that
teachers should be referred to as moderators or facilitators and
students should be referred to as participants.
At this point, the Moodle
site is ready. You can start creating courses and adding users.

Administration

To add a new course, while logged in as the administrator, follow the
Courses link in the Administrator block on the main page of the
Moodle site and choose the button to add a new course. Courses are
classified into categories and each course has to belong to a
category. Miscellaneous is the default category. You can add,
delete or hide categories as needed.

Moodle provides three course formats: weekly, topics and social. The
weekly format is suitable for courses organized into weekly
activities. The topics format is suitable for courses organized into
topics instead of weeks. The social format is organized around a
single discussion forum. Choose a format and create the course (Figure 2). Once a course has been created, the assigned teacher for
that course can modify course settings at any time.

Figure 2. Creating a New Course

After you create the course, you are taken to the main page of the
newly created course. Choose the Turn editing on button at the top
right corner of the page. With the editing turned on, tiny icons
appear all over the page. These icons allow you to reposition
blocks of content on the page as well as add, edit or delete
resources and activities in the course (See Figure 3).

Figure 3. Adding Course Materials

The Users link in the administrator block allows the administrator
to add users to the Moodle site. Moodle has convenient user management
features. New users can create user accounts themselves by providing
an e-mail address. Moodle handles the signup process by confirming the
e-mail address, creating the account and generating a password. A user
that has forgotten the password can request to have it sent to his or
her e-mail address. The administrator also can import multiple users
from an external comma-delimited file. The administrator can assign
teachers for a course and enroll students to that course.

Comment viewing options

I am flash developer and recently moved on LMS customization. I am using moodle as it is a open source. However to customize the moodle I need the help on architecture on moodle, which help me to customize the moodle.

It's an Etutoring platform for the Medical Fraternity. I would like to combine an Elearning platform with this. Short on funds. So was looking for a cost effective open source LMS which could indirectly help make my services affordable.

My major cause of concern - I've only been an end user to an LMS and I'm a non-techie business person. Would it be easy for me to use the administrative aspects of moodle including hosting my own courses?

Any thoughts/ insights on this would be deeply appreciated.

I would also be open to anyone looking to partner out on this venture.

There is a commercial Course Management System that was ported to a LAMP environment in 2003 and made free for accredited educational organizations to use.

Jones e-education, first released in 1998 by JonesKnowledge, is a mature, full-featured commercial solution that has both commercial development and a user development community. I have used it in a variety of roles since 1999, and have never seen any course management system more intuitive and user friendly for students.